The coating compositions of this invention are dry, free flowing powders that may be used in fusion coating processes. "Fusion coating processes" are here defined as those coating processes in which coating powders are distributed over a substrate (which may be hot or cold) and heat, supplied from the substrate or an external source, fuses the powders into a continuous film. Examples of fusion coating processes include fluidized bed, electrostatic spraying, hot flocking (with or without electrostatic spray), and cloud chambers. When coating powders are based upon heat curing resins, as is the case of the epoxy resins of this invention, sufficient heat in excess of that required to fuse the powders must be available to cure the coatings and fully develop their physical and chemical properties.
The coating compositions of this invention are distinguished in that when coated onto a substrate, they produce coatings of low gloss with a randomly developed wrinkled surface. Wrinkled surfaces of this type are desired in many applications and are commonly applied to office equipment such as typewriters, staplers, dictating equipment, file cabinets, and the like. In addition to being asthetically pleasing, these finishes have certain utilitarian functions in that they are of low gloss (i.e., not shiny), they do not show scratches, and they hide surface defects of a substrate even when applied in thin films.
Wrinkle finishes conventionally are applied from solvent-based paints, usually using two coats, to establish a compound system in which the surface sets up first. When the rest of the coating sets up, the resulting shrinkages deform the previously set surface and cause a fine wrinkle pattern to develop on the surface of the coating.